


Maintaining Life

by jaggedwolf



Category: The Strange Case of Starship Iris (Podcast)
Genre: Background Violet/Arkady, Canon-Compliant till S2E2, Friendship, Gen, Gift Giving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:00:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28953090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaggedwolf/pseuds/jaggedwolf
Summary: Violet had asked Krejjh to swing by for a quick checkup, but she hadn't expected them to come bearing a gift.
Relationships: Violet Liu & Krejjh
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41
Collections: TSCOSI Week 2021





	Maintaining Life

“Aw.” Krejjh’s easygoing grin threatened to fade. “You don’t like my present?”

“Uh.” Violet blinked. She stepped back from the medbay door to allow Krejjh to enter, inspecting the unexpected object that had been thrust into her hands. A potted violet. Seemed a little on-the-nose, and definitely not what she’d expected when she’d asked Krejjh to swing by for a quick checkup. 

Violet fumbled for a more coherent response, landing on one as Krejjh plopped themselves down on the nearest cot. “I just, um, what’s the occasion?”

“Science Officer Liu,” said Krejjh, looking incredulous as they rolled up a section of their clothing to reveal the bandaged wound, “you don’t need a reason for presents.”

“Uh huh.” Violet carefully placed the pot on her desk - a desk that felt like a luxury after those weeks with the _Rumor’s_ closet of a medbay - and turned her attention back to Krejjh’s leg. “Is your leg continuing to heal as expected?”

“Yep, walking’s getting way easier,” said Krejjh as the bandage wrappings came off. “Those are violets, right? I kinda bribed Captain Tripathi to see if she saw any while you were all out resupplying on Hypatia, and I figured she’d know. Woulda asked Crewman Jeeter, but he’s been sleeping a lot since that whole coughing incident.”

“Yeah,” said Violet, well-aware that she and Krejjh and everyone else had exhausted whatever discussion there was to have about Brian’s sudden coughing fit and collapse. Her hands and eyes busied themselves with the usual inspection of Krejjh’s injury, the two of them working off their joint medical-Dwarnian knowledge and whatever the net had to offer. “You bribed the captain?”

“Told her she’d get first dibs on the fruit jerky. And that it was for morale!” Krejjh frowned. “But if she got it wrong…”

“No,” said Violet, amused, “you both got it right. Honestly, I think I’m stuck on the ‘why’.”

“It’s your name!” said Krejjh, appearing to believe this was helpful information. “Or at least a name-version? Self?”

“Namesake?”

“Yeah!” Krejjh clapped their upper pair of hands together, the movement jerking their leg out of Violet’s hands for a second. “Oops, sorry about that.” Krejjh let out a little gasp. “I totally forgot to ask Crewman Jeeter about the new folks’ names.”

That explained why Krejjh even necessarily knew that Violet’s name had anything to do with plants. Brian was absolutely the kind of guy who’d geek out about name etymology, though she suspected hers was one of the more boring explanations. “Thanks for the gift Krejjh. Though, don’t take this the wrong way but uh, I don’t think it’s going to last very long in my hands.”

“Why not? It’s a plant. You’re a biologist!”

Violet resisted the urge to ask if Krejjh could fly everything that left the ground. They’d probably say yes. Instead, she replied, “They don’t do great indoors, and it’s not like we have a greenhouse in this ship.”

“You know who’s really good with plants?” Krejjh’s expression turned ominously thoughtful. “First Mate Patel.”

Violet sighed. “Seriously?”

“In my defense, you folks make really loud faces.”

Violet hadn’t seen or spoken to Arkady for over twenty-four hours. Arkady was off hacking anyone and anything that might have answers about what was happening in San Ramos. Violet was trying to decipher the scans of Brian she’d taken with the _Iris’s_ fancy medbay equipment. Calling in Krejjh to check on their leg was her version of taking a break.

Not that Violet was entirely unaware of how keeping busy with work could be a very useful euphemism for hiding in work, but-they did have actual work to do, and it’s not like Violet had magically figured out the right words that would work this time, either.

Dryly, Violet said, “I think her hands are more than full enough with one Violet these days.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind more,” insisted Krejjh, dragging out the last vowel. “Well, I guess not boss-Violet. Those two do not get along. I know I missed a bunch of you folks’ first conversation, but what is up with that?”

“Two cynics in the same room?” Violet secured the last bit of bandaging around Krejjh’s leg. “You’re all set. You know the drill, let-”

“Let you know if anything changes, got it.”

“With you or Brian,” she emphasized. 

An expression flickered across Krejjh’s face too quick for Violet to catch. “Easy peasy.”

They were at the door before another question to test her current theory sprung up in Violet’s mind. “Krejjh, do you keep a namesake around?”

“Course I do.” Krejjh straightened their back and their red pupils gleamed with satisfaction. They stomped the ground with their uninjured leg. “I get to fly this thing. See ya later Science Officer Liu.”

_Fitting enough answer_ , thought Violet, sliding the door shut behind them. She sank into her chair. Added another log to Krejjh’s record. She dismissed it, ready to look at Brian’s again when light purple petals caught her gaze.

Her dad had tried to grow violets for her ninth birthday in their Minneapolis apartment, despite the seasons working against him. It didn’t work out. He’d more than overcompensated the next year. Violet had found flowers even in her lunchbox, petals threatening to slip into her sandwiches. She doesn’t quite remember the how of his success.

A familiar ache thrummed in Violet’s chest. More at the memory of the failure. Her, taking plenty of notes as her dad zipped in and out of her room to take various measurements. Her mom in the living room, commenting, “You’re going to have her believing that the scientific method is solely writing things down.”

“That’s half the battle,” her dad had said, pausing mid-stride to make a goofy expression at Juniper, who had been very seriously considering some toy or the other on her playmat.

Silly. Juniper probably didn’t even remember that apartment. _Remember Vi, at least now they know you’re alive. Sure beats ‘dead in an unexplained ship explosion’._

She diverted her thoughts along a well-worn groove away from an even more well-worn spiral of guilt and worry, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Better not to re-re-review Brian’s scans in her current state and risk missing something. She switched off the screen, stood up, and considered Krejjh’s gift.

Botany wasn’t her specialty, but the plant looked healthy enough. It would be a shame to watch it slowly die.

Something still seemed off to her about being gifted the embodiment of her first name by someone who never called her by it. She squinted. Noted that Krejjh would have had to ask the captain before they all left the ship. For not the first time, Violet wondered if Krejjh didn’t know that Violet generally didn’t need much incentive to spend time with the person she was dating. Though perhaps that was too many layers for Krejjh, and too much suspicion on Violet’s part.

A project to work on together couldn’t worsen their argument any, if Violet wasn’t jinxing herself. A project that wasn’t life or death. Uh, for people, at least. Violet scooped up the pot, glancing back at the medbay to confirm that everything was in order, and let her feet trace the path to Arkady’s room.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 1 of TSCOSI Week 2021, for the prompts Violet/Nature: https://tscosi-week.tumblr.com/post/638667991780933632/prompts


End file.
